Wax-thread sewing machine



Feb. 7, 1928.

A. EPPLER WAX THREAD SEWING MACHINE Filed Dec. 21, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F' Feb. 7, 1928.

A. EPPLER WAX THREAD smwme MACHINE Fil 21, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gig Illll/lllrlflflfflll lll Illlfi II I Feb. 7, 1928.

A. EPPLER WAX THREAD SEWING MACHINE Filed Dec. 21, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNETED STATES essee PATENT OFFICE.

ANDBEV] EPPLER, F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOH TO UNITED SHOE MACHIN- ERY CGRPDIRATION, 0F EATER-SON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WAX-THREAD SEWING MACHINE.

Application filed December 21, 1922. Serial No. 608,140.

The invention relates to hook needle wax thread sewing machines, and more particu larly to the means for heating the looper of such machine.

The objectof the invention is to provide a simple and eiiicient construction of looper heating means, and also a construction which will permit the use of either steam or electricity as the heating medium, and also en-- able the change fromone to the other to'be readily made. To these ends the invention comprises the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and referred to in the claims.

The invention will be understood from the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a left hand side elevation showing so much of an inseam sewing machine as is necessaryto illustrate the application of the present invention thereto, Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the looper heating means, Fig. 3 1s a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig, 2, Fig. iis a detailed view partly in section showing the manner of mounting and heatingthe looper lever, Fig. 5 is a sectional cletail on line 5-5, Fig. 4., Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on line 66, i, Fig. Tie a detailed elevation showing means for using steam as the heating medium, Fig. Sis a front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a detail view partly in section showing the heating means, and Fig. 10 is a sectional detail on line 10-10, Fig. 7. 7

The invention is illustratedas applied to a welt and turn sewing machine having the general construction and mode of operation of the machine shown and described in Patent No. 1,108,560,. dated August '25, 1914:.

The machine is provided with the curvedhook needle 2, thethread finger 4, the welt guide or back gage 6, the looper 8, and; the usual cooperating devices for forming the stitches and feeding the work. The looper is secured in the lower end of the looper lever 10 which is pivotally supported onthe forward end of the looper slide 12. The

. slide is reciprocated to give the looper a'forward and backward movement by a cam on the cam shaft 14 of the machine and the looper is rocked laterally about its pivot by an oscillating arm 16 which is connected with the looper by a pin 18 passing through a sleeve 20 on the upper end of a stud 22 Which fits within a socket in the upper end of the looper lever.

In applying the preferred form of the present invention to the above machine the looper lever is mounted on a hollow shaft carried by the looper slide and adapted to receive within its bore a heating unit which may be adapted for the use of a heating fluid such as steam, or for the use of electricity as 'he heating medium. As shown the looper lever is mounted on a hollow shaft2et to which it is secured by a lOCkiIlg bolt 26, and the shaft is jo-urnaled in a block 28 secured to the looper slide 12 by bolts 30. The bearings for the shaft embracethe looper lever so that the shaft and lever reciprocate with the looper slide. ed by a cylindrical heating unit adapted to fit within the bore ofv the hollow shaft and held in fixed position during the reciprocation and oscillation of the shaft and looper lever. This unit may be an electric heating unitas indicated in Figs. 1 to 6 or may be a steam heating unit as indicated in Figs. 7 to 10 and either unit may be applied to or removed from the machine without disturbing the looper and without inconvenience or the exercise of any degree of care or skill.

The electric heating unit shown comprises a cylindrical casing 32 adapted to carry a heating core 34L made up of the usual insulated resistance coils and provided with the terminal wires 36. The casing is provided with a laterallyprojecting stud 38 adapted to be secured in a holder bracket 40. The bracket 40 may be secured by bolts42, to a bracket 4% which is in turn secured to the.

frame of the machine bya bolt 46. The heating unit is thus held in fixed position within the hollow shaft during the reciprocation and oscillation of the shaft and loop er lever. The holder bracket iOmay be provided with an arm 48 carrying an insulating bushing 50 for guiding and supporting the terminal wires 36 of the heating unit. The wires may lead through an insulating and protecting conduit 52 toa junction box 545 where they are connected through terminals 56 with the lead wires 58 of the electric heating system. The junction box may be conveniently secured upon a stud 60 which is secured in the upper end of' a passage 62 formed in the frame of the machine and utilized as a steam passage when the machine is provided with a steam heating system. In order to heat the bracket 44, as well as parts of the looper operating; mechanism, the bracket is provided with a chamber 6% extending back or the arm 16 and pin 18 and adapted to receive an electric heating unit 66, the terminal wires 68 of which may be connected with the terminals 56 in the junction box.

The manner oil? installing and utilizing a steam heating system for heating the looper is shown in Figs. 7 to 10. The steam heating unit comprises a hollow cylinder 70 adapted to lit withiu'the bore of thehollow shaft 24-. The inner end of the cylinder is closed, and the outer end is connected with a head 72 provided with a. transverse passage 74; which communicates with the chamber within thecylinder 70. The head is secured in holder bracket 76 which maybe secured to the braids-it l l in place of the holder bracket 40 for the electric heating unit and which holds the cylinder 70 in fixed position within the'hollow shaiit of the looper lover diiring'the reciprocation and oscillation of the shaft and looper lever. Steam may be supplied to the passage 74 and interior of the cylinder 70 through a pipe 78 leading from the outer portof a steam chamber 80 formed within the bracket 44L. Steam is supplied to this chamber through a pipe 82 extending;

disturbing the looper or operating parts of the machine and in case it becomesdesirable to change from one system to another the change can be readily and conveniently 'made-vithout the removal. or readjustment of any of the operating parts. For-instance,

to change from the electric heating system-to the steam heating systemi t is merely'necessary to remove the holder bracket 40, junction box 54 and stud 60 and then secure the holder bracket 76 to the bracket 44; in the that this construction and arrangement may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction and arrangement of the parts of the machine to which the invention is to be applied.-

lVhat claimed is:

1. A war; thread sewing machine having, in combination. stitch forming 'niechanism including a hook needle, a looper, a looper lever, a hollow shaft on which the lever is mounted, a slide in which the shaft is mounted for reciprocating the shaft and lever, and a heating unit adapted to lit within the shaft.

2. A wax thread sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices inliidihg a-hook needle, a ,looper,a"looper lever, ahollow shaft on which the lever is mounted, an external bearing for the shaft, means for reciprocating; the shaft endwise and rocking the lever about its axis, and a stationary heatingunit within the shaft.

3. A wax thread sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices'ineluding a hook needle, a looper lever, a hollow shaft upon which the lever is mounted,

a slide in which the shai't is mounted for reslide, a 'looper lever on the shaft, means for reciprocating the slide and rocking the lever, and aheating. unit adapted to fit within'the shattr 5. waz i'thread sewing machine having, in (i -ombination. stitch forming devices including; a hook needle, reciprocating 'loop'er slide. a hollow shaft on the slide'arranged' to alternatively receive w thin it heating; H

units constructedior the use of different heating mediums, a looper lever mounted on the sha'l t, and means for retaining either heatingunit within the shaft. V

ANDREW EPPL'ER. f 

